It's OK to Ask...

I was recently out shopping with my little guy when an older couple was standing behind us in the check-out line.  Of course, there was one lane open and the customer was doing a return so the line was beginning to snake through the store.  I debated leaving the cart of merchandise behind and returning on a different day, but we held out for our turn.  I've noticed since giving birth to my son that many people feel the need to say something to your child the moment they make eye contact; something I am OK with except the day a woman said she would take him home with her because she always wanted a little boy, but I will save that story for another day. 

We've been in line now for a good 6-7 minutes when the wife of the couple behind us was eagerly trying to get little man to say hello to her.  He eventually did so in his own bashful way of flashing a quick smile before nestling his face into my protruding pregnancy bump.  Her husband stood next to her looking at my fair, but sun-golden arms and poker straight hair and abruptly asked, "where did those curls come from?" his eyes now looking at my little guy's head.  I knew by the look on his darling wife's face she was not only embarrassed, but did not approve of his question being asked in public.  I gently smiled and said, "It's OK.  He gets those beautiful ringlets from daddy, definitely not me."  His wife now felt the need to follow-up his question with comments about how well behaved he was in the shopping cart waiting and his adorableness.  In my eyes, she didn't have to say anything; her husband asked a legitimate question and no, I wasn't offended by it nor should she be.  

It's OK to ask where those ringlets came from as I certainly don't have them, but surely wished I did.  It's OK to ask where he got the perfect year-round tan from too; luckily that is a perfect blend of both daddy and me.  When my then 4-year old niece met our little guy for the first time last summer at a restaurant, she loudly asked, "Aunt Mia, do you know your baby is uh whittle bwown (a little brown)?  The woman sitting near us waiting for her food turned red in the face as if she was embarrassed for me.  Unfortunately my husband did not have military leave when I was traveling and it had been some time since my niece had seen him, but a quick conversation about how Uncle Tony and Aunt Mia's skin colors made baby D's skin color cleared up her innocent question and vacation proceeded as normal.  But back to the couple out shopping the other day.  I am not offended by those questions.  I would rather you ask then make assumptions.  I am OK with who I married and how our son (soon to be plural) appears and you should be OK asking me where those ringlets came from.